More than 100 years of library services. . .

Timeline of State Library of Queensland history

1896	The Brisbane Public Library is established in William Street. The Library's collection, purchased by the Queensland Government from the private collection of Mr Justice Harding, is managed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Queensland's Chief Justice, Sir Samuel Griffith.
1898	The Brisbane Public Library is renamed the Public Library of Queensland.
1899	The Public Library of Queensland collection is catalogued using the Dewey Decimal Classification System (first use in an Australian library).
1902	On 29 April, the Public Library of Queensland officially opens and its collections are made available to the public.
1903	The Acting Public Librarian, Evan Roland Jones, is dismissed for misappropriating funds.
1907	The Public Library of Queensland is first wired for electric power.
1924	In Brisbane's centenary year, the State Government collects money to commemorate John Oxley discovering the site of Brisbane. £2,500 left over is used to erect a statue to John Oxley and to purchase 6,000 books for the Oxley Memorial Library.
1934	The Oxley Memorial Library officially opens as a centre for research and study relating to Queensland.
1943	Queensland Parliament passes the Libraries Act, establishing the Library Board of Queensland to manage the operations of the Public Library of Queensland, and coordinate and improve library facilities throughout the state of Queensland.
1946	With the passing of The Oxley Memorial Library of Queensland Act 1946, the assets of the Oxley Centenary fund are transferred to the Library Board of Queensland which undertake to staff and finance the Oxley Memorial Library collection, now known as the John Oxley Library.
1947	The position of State Librarian is created, and James L Stapleton is appointed Queensland's first State Librarian.
	The Library Board of Queensland establishes the Country Extension Service (CES) to provide a library service to individuals living outside the Brisbane metropolitan area.
1951	During the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Australian Federation, the Library Board of Queensland promotes high quality library services to country residents by establishing a model children's library, which travels throughout the State via the rail network.
1954	The Library Board of Queensland begins providing library services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with loans to Woorabinda, Cherbourg, and Palm Island libraries, and to schools on Darnley, Thursday and Yorke Islands in the Torres Strait.
1959	A mosaic by Australian artist Lindsay Edward is added to Centennial Hall, an extension to the State Library in William Street.
1963	A Rare Books Collection is formed.
1966	The Public Library of Queensland in William Street is remodelled, giving it an extra floor and an extended mezzanine.
1970	Sydney Lawrence (Lawrie) Ryan is appointed State Librarian.
1971	The Public Library of Queensland is formally renamed the State Library of Queensland.
1972	A Public Library Service is established to liaise with local authorities regarding their public libraries. The qualified staff subsidy for public libraries is also established.
1973	Thursday Island and Cooktown are the first libraries to join what is later to become the Country Lending Service.
1974	Brisbane flood destroys books at South Brisbane - with water rising to nearly two metres. Over 80% of the stock is damaged. The silt damage makes restoration impossible. Flood insurance payments (taken out only months before) help to establish a new subsidy scheme for small local authorities.
1975	The Queensland Government announces the construction of the Queensland Cultural Centre at South Bank, of which Stage 4 is to be a new State Library of Queensland.
1988	The State Library in William Street closes with the move to its new South Bank site.
	James Hardie Industries presents the James Hardie Library of Australian Fine Arts to the Library Board of Queensland.
	Des Stephens is appointed State Librarian.
1995	In October, the State Library of Queensland launches its own Internet site.
1997	The Queensland Government provides the State Library of Queensland with $2.3M over three years for the OPAL (Online Public Access in Libraries) Project to assist public libraries to introduce or expand Internet services for the community.
2000	Premier Peter Beattie announces the Millennium Arts Project which includes a major redevelopment of the existing State Library building (Millennium Library Project).
2001	Appointment of Lea Giles-Peters as State Librarian: the first female State Librarian in the 99 year history of the State Library of Queensland.
2002	State Library of Queensland Centenary celebrations.
2003	Eight Indigenous Knowledge Centres established in the Cape York and Torres Strait regions.
2004	Construction of the Millennium Library Project commences.
	Injinoo Indigenous Knowledge Centre is established.
	Music Queensland, an online archive of uniquely Queensland music scores is launched.
2005	Indigenous Knowledge Centres are established at Cherbourg, Badu and Seisia.
	Manuscripts Queensland is launched providing online access to original material collections held in the John Oxley Library and the Australian Library of Art.
	Queensland stories, the first of the statewide public library strategic development grants programs, is launched.
2006	On 25 November, the redeveloped State Library of Queensland building opens to the public as a new cultural and knowledge destination. Twice its former size, the new State Library is located in the heart of the extended Queensland Cultural Centre at South Bank. It sets a benchmark for state libraries within Australia and the southern hemisphere.
2007	The State Library of Queensland is awarded the nation’s top prize for public architecture, the RAIA Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, at the 2007 RAIA National Architecture Awards.
2008	The State Library presents Game On, a touring exhibition from London's Barbican Art Gallery, which celebrated the pop culture of gaming.
2009	The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame, celebrating, recording and retelling outstanding stories of Queensland's Business Leaders over the last 152 years and into the future, is launched in partnership with Queensland University of Technology.
2010	The Edge opens as another State Library of Queensland initiative, sitting alongside the Library's established programs and continuing the library’s growth as a cultural and knowledge destination.
2011	Flood waters from the Brisbane River breached the basement and car park of the State Library building and the lower level of The Edge, necessitating the closure of the Library for five weeks. There is no damage to the Library's collections.
2012	Appointment of Janette Wright as CEO and State Librarian. State Library of Queensland joins with libraries across Australia to celebrate the National Year of Reading.